Earth Eats is a weekly podcast, public radio program and blog bringing you the freshest news and recipes inspired by local food and sustainable agriculture

"Peanuts had become popular because of this movement of new American pastimes that were accessible to like the common man, or the common person. So, baseball and theater halls and circuses--all of those places became places where people were interested in buying peanuts."

This week on the show Kayte Young talks with Jori Lewis. She’s an award winning journalist and the author of, Slaves For Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation and a Crop That Changed History. It’s a book about the natural and human history of the peanut and the role it played in West Africa as the transatlantic slave trade was ending.

"Peanuts had become popular because of this movement of new American pastimes that were accessible to like the common man, or the common person. So, baseball and theater halls and circuses--all of those places became places where people were interested in buying peanuts."
This week on the show Kayte Young talks with Jori Lewis. She’s an award winning journalist and the author of, Slaves For Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation and a Crop That Changed History. It’s a book about the natural and human history of the peanut and the role it played in West Africa as the transatlantic slave trade was ending.

While peanut butter is one of my favorite foods, I can’t say that I have given much thought to the peanut as a crop, or paid any attention to its role in history. 

Author Jori Lewis on the natural and human history of the peanut 

“When I try to understand–why on earth would agriculture be practiced that way? The answer is colonization. The answer really is, this wasn’t about managing land for everyone’s mutual benefit. This was a process of extraction.”

In honor of Earth Day earlier this week, we are revisiting an important conversation about regenerative agriculture with Liz Carlisle, author of Healing Grounds:Climate, Justice and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming. And learn about restoring native prairies and bringing buffalo back to the land with Latrice Tatsey of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana.Tatsey is one of the researchers featured in Carlisle’s book.

“When I try to understand–why on earth would agriculture be practiced that way? The answer is colonization. The answer really is, this wasn’t about managing land for everyone’s mutual benefit. This was a process of extraction.”
In honor of Earth Day earlier this week, we are revisiting an important conversation about regenerative agriculture with Liz Carlisle, author of Healing Grounds:Climate, Justice and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming. And learn about restoring native prairies and bringing buffalo back to the land with Latrice Tatsey of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana.Tatsey is one of the researchers featured in Carlisle’s book.

 Liz Carlisle’s book, Healing Grounds, explores the origins of the farming practices we need today–in order to reduce the devastating effects of agriculture on our planet’s climate.

 In celebration of Earth Day: a conversation on the deep roots of regenerative farming 

“And she brought two jars of lilacs, like [a] drink made of lilacs. She brought also cups and everybody could try it. It was really something like a miracle for me because I have never thought that it could be drunk in this way.”

This week on the show, a story about a community garden in Tallinn, Estonia. We talk with Jerry Mercury, a political immigrant from Russia whose encounter with the garden was transformative. 

And later in the show we have a recipe for quick, garden-fresh pickles, plus stories from Harvest public media about composting efforts in Midwestern cities and Federal investments in farm-to-school programs.

“And she brought two jars of lilacs, like [a] drink made of lilacs. She brought also cups and everybody could try it. It was really something like a miracle for me because I have never thought that it could be drunk in this way.”
This week on the show, a story about a community garden in Tallinn, Estonia. We talk with Jerry Mercury, a political immigrant from Russia whose encounter with the garden was transformative. 
And later in the show we have a recipe for quick, garden-fresh pickles, plus stories from Harvest public media about composting efforts in Midwestern cities and Federal investments in farm-to-school programs.

Jerry Mercury had never experienced a place like the community garden he found in Tallinn, Estonia. In a difficult time, it meant the world to him.

What a garden can mean–when you need it most

“And as the blade rotates and the interior cylinder freezes, it begins to churn the ice cream into a wonderful fluffy content that will be established shortly thereafter.”

This week on the show, let’s kick off the summer season with a story about ice cream.

Toby Foster talks with Jordan Davis and Elijah Lawson of the Chocolate Moose, Bloomington's classic ice cream stand, and so much more. And we go into the kitchen with Chris Manansala and Maria St. Claire of Pinoy Garden Cafe to learn how to make their vegetarian lumpia.

“And as the blade rotates and the interior cylinder freezes, it begins to churn the ice cream into a wonderful fluffy content that will be established shortly thereafter.”
This week on the show, let’s kick off the summer season with a story about ice cream.
Toby Foster talks with Jordan Davis and Elijah Lawson of the Chocolate Moose, Bloomington's classic ice cream stand, and so much more. And we go into the kitchen with Chris Manansala and Maria St. Claire of Pinoy Garden Cafe to learn how to make their vegetarian lumpia.

Local ice cream shop puts the focus on community with Food Truck Fridays.

Get ready for food truck season, and ice cream with the Chocolate Moose and Pinoy Garden Cafe

“You know, you’d wake up the day before, in the morning, and there was Grandma, already in the kitchen. You’d just get the smells, the aromas of the garlic and the citrus from the mojo, and you know it was just kind of ingrained in the memory of sitting there with my grandma while she was preparing it and just talking…”

This week on the show, we dive into a family recipe from Cuba with producer Alexis Carvajal. 

producer Daniella Richardson review the critically acclaimed show all about kitchen culture, The Bear.

Plus, are you wondering what to bring to your eclipse viewing picnic? We’ve got ideas and an original recipe for some special eclipse cookies.

“You know, you’d wake up the day before, in the morning, and there was Grandma, already in the kitchen. You’d just get the smells, the aromas of the garlic and the citrus from the mojo, and you know it was just kind of ingrained in the memory of sitting there with my grandma while she was preparing it and just talking…”
This week on the show, we dive into a family recipe from Cuba with producer Alexis Carvajal. 
producer Daniella Richardson review the critically acclaimed show all about kitchen culture, The Bear.
Plus, are you wondering what to bring to your eclipse viewing picnic? We’ve got ideas and an original recipe for some special eclipse cookies.

Producer Alexis Carvajal connects with her grandmother to learn a family recipe called Pernil. 

Three generations collaborate to cook a favorite Cuban dish

“We’re not shooting for perfection, we’re shooting for richness of experience.”

This week on the show, we revisit a conversation at Groundwork Indy with then Executive Director, Phyllis Boyd. She gives us a tour of their on-site garden tended by teams of young people in their youth development program. Then we take a drive around Northwest Indianapolis to see more inspiring projects, including a community orchard.

Plus, from Harvest Public Media, we have reports on an <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2024-03-22/honey-production" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">increase in honey production</a>, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2024-03-11/a-warm-winter-and-lingering-drought-could-set-up-a-tough-growing-season-in-the-midwest" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">drought in the midwest</a>, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2024-03-11/pfas-contaminated-biosolids-state-testing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PFAS in crop fertilizer</a> and a story about the forest floor as agricultural land.

“We’re not shooting for perfection, we’re shooting for richness of experience.”
This week on the show, we revisit a conversation at Groundwork Indy with then Executive Director, Phyllis Boyd. She gives us a tour of their on-site garden tended by teams of young people in their youth development program. Then we take a drive around Northwest Indianapolis to see more inspiring projects, including a community orchard.
Plus, from Harvest Public Media, we have reports on an increase in honey production, drought in the midwest, PFAS in crop fertilizer and a story about the forest floor as agricultural land.

Join us for a community garden tour and conversation with Phyllis Boyd, former director of Groundwork Indy

Youth in Indianapolis build personal and community resilience in the garden–with Groundwork Indy

“After the peace, whenever that comes, we will have land that will have to stay out of production for years because it is so heavily mined or full of cluster bomblets.”

This week on the show we talk with geographer Elizabeth Cullen Dunn about the current food landscape in Ukraine. We discuss what the future may hold for farmers and food producers in the region as the war with Russia drags on and as land policy shifts in Ukraine at the start of the new year. 

We also talk about ice cream! We look at current shipping challenges in Ukraine, and the meaning of an ice cream cone in former Soviet Bloc countries

“After the peace, whenever that comes, we will have land that will have to stay out of production for years because it is so heavily mined or full of cluster bomblets.”
This week on the show we talk with geographer Elizabeth Cullen Dunn about the current food landscape in Ukraine. We discuss what the future may hold for farmers and food producers in the region as the war with Russia drags on and as land policy shifts in Ukraine at the start of the new year. 
We also talk about ice cream! We look at current shipping challenges in Ukraine, and the meaning of an ice cream cone in former Soviet Bloc countries

Geographer Elizabeth Cullen Dunn talks with Earth Eats about visiting ice cream factories and small dairy farms in Ukraine as the country faces uncertainty around the war and changes in land policy.

Present and future foodways in Ukraine–a conversation with Elizabeth Dunn

“We know that there are all sorts of good chemicals that come out of the dirt and working with land–working with plants–that are beneficial to our mood and our health. For refugee populations that have had to be on the run or had to live in refugee camps for decades, having a little piece of land that you can tend to that you can take care of and then see the results and not feel like you’re gonna be bombed out the next day–it brings a kind of peace of mind and a little bit of healing.” 

This week on the show, Tammy Ho, Professor of Gender and Sexuality studies at University of California-Riverside, shares her research about refugees from Burma and their participation in the United States food system. We’ll learn about a supermarket sushi mogul, Burmese meatpackers as essential workers, and how a group of refugees saved a failing church by starting a community garden.

“We know that there are all sorts of good chemicals that come out of the dirt and working with land–working with plants–that are beneficial to our mood and our health. For refugee populations that have had to be on the run or had to live in refugee camps for decades, having a little piece of land that you can tend to that you can take care of and then see the results and not feel like you’re gonna be bombed out the next day–it brings a kind of peace of mind and a little bit of healing.” 
This week on the show, Tammy Ho, Professor of Gender and Sexuality studies at University of California-Riverside, shares her research about refugees from Burma and their participation in the United States food system. We’ll learn about a supermarket sushi mogul, Burmese meatpackers as essential workers, and how a group of refugees saved a failing church by starting a community garden.

Tammy Ho talks about her research on Burmese refugees in the US food system.

Sushi rolling, meatpacking and community gardening

“I just wanted to provide context for folks because I do think that the conversation around plant-based food for the last eight years or so has been pushed toward a more corporate, vertical, lab meat, impossible burgers, beyond burgers, meat substitutes that act like meat and look like meat and has gotten really far away from whole foods and vegetables and legumes and how nice it is to just eat some beans sometimes.”

This week on the show we talk with food writer Alicia Kennedy about her new book, No Meat Required: the cultural history and culinary future of plant based eating.

“I just wanted to provide context for folks because I do think that the conversation around plant-based food for the last eight years or so has been pushed toward a more corporate, vertical, lab meat, impossible burgers, beyond burgers, meat substitutes that act like meat and look like meat and has gotten really far away from whole foods and vegetables and legumes and how nice it is to just eat some beans sometimes.”
This week on the show we talk with food writer Alicia Kennedy about her new book, No Meat Required: the cultural history and culinary future of plant based eating.

In her new book No Meat Required, food writer Alicia Kennedy looks at vegetarian movements of the past and shares her low-tech vision for the future of food.

The future of food according to Alicia Kennedy

This week on the show, Toby Foster talks with the creators of Planted, a local plant-based food truck and catering operation in Bloomington, Indiana. We learn about their inventive, plant-based menu and their commitment to sustainable practices.

We have an interview with Julie Guthman about the troubled strawberry industry and we wrap up the show with a recipe for  pickled carrots.

This week on the show, Toby Foster talks with the creators of Planted, a local plant-based food truck and catering operation in Bloomington, Indiana. We learn about their inventive, plant-based menu and their commitment to sustainable practices.
We have an interview with Julie Guthman about the troubled strawberry industry and we wrap up the show with a recipe for  pickled carrots.

When Nicole Schonemann switched to a plant-based diet, she was looking for delicious food and noticed her community had a gap. Planted Bloomington hopes to fill it.

This new food truck makes top-notch, plant-based food to-go

“Bloomington is known in the science world--if you say Bloomington, people think fruit flies.” 

This week on our show, we tap into the 15 years deep Earth Eats archive, for one of my very favorite stories. It’s about our visit to the kitchen of a science building on the campus of Indiana University, where they prepare food for a tiny organism that supports genetic research around the globe. This one is from 2020, so you’ll hear some mention of the global pandemic. This is a strange one–but fascinating.

“Bloomington is known in the science world--if you say Bloomington, people think fruit flies.” 
This week on our show, we tap into the 15 years deep Earth Eats archive, for one of my very favorite stories. It’s about our visit to the kitchen of a science building on the campus of Indiana University, where they prepare food for a tiny organism that supports genetic research around the globe. This one is from 2020, so you’ll hear some mention of the global pandemic. This is a strange one–but fascinating.

 Most of us, when we encounter a fruit fly, are focused on keeping it out of our food. But what if it was your job to feed fruit flies?

Meet the guy who cooks for flies–and for science

“There’s a feeling to it that’s kind of satisfying in that way. It doesn’t feel so much like we could survive on it, as we’re able to provide some of our sort of staple foods.”

On today’s show we’re continuing to celebrate our 15th anniversary with a favorite story from 2020 about my visit to a farm East of Bloomington Indiana, to speak with Denise and Sean Breeden Ost. 

We talked about growing food, preserving food and eating food.  We check out their dry bean threshing techniques and reflect on the notion of  food self-sufficiency.

Plus, food news from Harvest Public Media.

“There’s a feeling to it that’s kind of satisfying in that way. It doesn’t feel so much like we could survive on it, as we’re able to provide some of our sort of staple foods.”
On today’s show we’re continuing to celebrate our 15th anniversary with a favorite story from 2020 about my visit to a farm East of Bloomington Indiana, to speak with Denise and Sean Breeden Ost. 
We talked about growing food, preserving food and eating food.  We check out their dry bean threshing techniques and reflect on the notion of  food self-sufficiency.
Plus, food news from Harvest Public Media.

This week on Earth Eats, beans and corn and cornbread and bean poetry and planning for the apocalypse of your imagination. 

When the apocalypse comes, what will we eat?

“I think our approach is: making it better–improving the land every time we have a chance. 

We are benefited by the sweetness of the maple, right? So, that’s a source of sweetness for us and for the people to come after us. And hopefully the pawpaws will be. One of these days, somebody can enjoy that fruit. Yeah.” 

This week on the show we explore what it can look like to have a vision for your land that extends beyond yourself and even your family. We speak with Larry Gillen and Helen Vasquez about their decision to gift their farm to a tribal college. 

And Josephine McRobbie visits with a Regenerative Farmer building soil in the sandhills of North Carolina with the help of some four-legged(and winged) “teammates.”

“I think our approach is: making it better–improving the land every time we have a chance. 
We are benefited by the sweetness of the maple, right? So, that’s a source of sweetness for us and for the people to come after us. And hopefully the pawpaws will be. One of these days, somebody can enjoy that fruit. Yeah.” 
This week on the show we explore what it can look like to have a vision for your land that extends beyond yourself and even your family. We speak with Larry Gillen and Helen Vasquez about their decision to gift their farm to a tribal college. 
And Josephine McRobbie visits with a Regenerative Farmer building soil in the sandhills of North Carolina with the help of some four-legged(and winged) “teammates.”

Celebrating 15 years of stories that matter with another favorite from the archives about stewarding the land for future generations. 

“We don’t own the land, we’re taking care of it”--conversations on leaving a land legacy

“...Call them tamale pancakes, stuffed 
masa frita, the humble lovechild

of a quesadilla y calzone…”

This week on the show, we’re celebrating 15 years of Earth Eats with favorite stories reaching back to 2018. We visit a midwest chocolate factory crafting world-class chocolate and a poet making pupusas in his kitchen. We talk with Suzanne Babb, an urban farmer with La Finca del Sur in South Bronx and hear about how home canning is making a comeback (that last one is from Harvest Public Media, and it’s new!)

“...Call them tamale pancakes, stuffed
of a quesadilla y calzone…”
This week on the show, we’re celebrating 15 years of Earth Eats with favorite stories reaching back to 2018. We visit a midwest chocolate factory crafting world-class chocolate and a poet making pupusas in his kitchen. We talk with Suzanne Babb, an urban farmer with La Finca del Sur in South Bronx and hear about how home canning is making a comeback (that last one is from Harvest Public Media, and it’s new!)

Join us for a trip down memory lane on Earth Eats’ 15th anniversary.

Celebrating 15 years of food stories with chocolate, pupusas and urban farming

“For me it feels like we live in an age where you look on the news and it just feels like everything is going wrong. And so gardening feels like a small way we can have an actual, tangible, positive impact on the world around us. In a world where it’s easy to feel like everything is just falling apart, it’s a small way to actually see progress.”

 
This week on the show, it’s back to school part two. We talk with high school students and educators about what their school gardens mean to them.

“For me it feels like we live in an age where you look on the news and it just feels like everything is going wrong. And so gardening feels like a small way we can have an actual, tangible, positive impact on the world around us. In a world where it’s easy to feel like everything is just falling apart, it’s a small way to actually see progress.”

This week on the show, it’s back to school part two. We talk with high school students and educators about what their school gardens mean to them.

As we head back to the classroom, consider the value of outdoor learning. We speak with educators and students about what gardens at their high schools mean to them. 

High school students learn about plants (and life) in their school garden

“Society has gotten so far disconnected from where their food comes from, that if we can begin with the students, start with children, teaching them how to grow food, they will be much more interested in where their food comes from as they get older. I think that’s a very important part of the process”

This week on the show, we talk with Kendall Slaughter, he’s the farm-to-school coordinator for Springfield Public Schools in Southern Missouri. We’ll tour an elementary school designed as a sundial, meet the bunnies and the chickens and hear about how the school system is building a sustainable school garden program and moving towards local food sourcing in school lunches.

“Society has gotten so far disconnected from where their food comes from, that if we can begin with the students, start with children, teaching them how to grow food, they will be much more interested in where their food comes from as they get older. I think that’s a very important part of the process”
This week on the show, we talk with Kendall Slaughter, he’s the farm-to-school coordinator for Springfield Public Schools in Southern Missouri. We’ll tour an elementary school designed as a sundial, meet the bunnies and the chickens and hear about how the school system is building a sustainable school garden program and moving towards local food sourcing in school lunches.

Join us for a tour of a new midwestern elementary ag school and a conversation with a farm-to-school garden coordinator.

Farm-to-fork education for elementary students

“When you think of literacy and you think of what does that mean and what are all the parts of it– think about reading a recipe. Think about measuring the ingredients. Think about learning how to cook.  Think about planning a meal, or budgeting for that meal.There are so many things that are learning-through-play, learning-through-doing-it, in a teaching kitchen. That’s the reason  why we call it a teaching kitchen. It really is about learning literacy as well as some skills that are very specific to cooking.”

This week on the show, conversations with an architect, a library director and the head of a food pantry about how a teaching kitchen found its way into a public library and what it means for the community.

“When you think of literacy and you think of what does that mean and what are all the parts of it– think about reading a recipe. Think about measuring the ingredients. Think about learning how to cook.  Think about planning a meal, or budgeting for that meal.There are so many things that are learning-through-play, learning-through-doing-it, in a teaching kitchen. That’s the reason  why we call it a teaching kitchen. It really is about learning literacy as well as some skills that are very specific to cooking.”
This week on the show, conversations with an architect, a library director and the head of a food pantry about how a teaching kitchen found its way into a public library and what it means for the community.

Former public library director Marylin Wood asked the community what they wanted in a new library. The answers included connections with nature, and space to cook together. 

When a library includes a teaching kitchen, community connections multiply

“Double zero refers to the fineness of the grind–so it’s super fine because of that designation, which also helps make it be as smooth and glutenous as possible in the final dough. I buy it in these 55 pound bags through a restaurant store and I just have it shipped to me.”

This week on the show we talk with Pete Giordano about what it takes to make the perfect, Neapolitan-style pizza at home.

And we learn how to make persimmon pudding using a recipe from Clara Kinsey.

“Double zero refers to the fineness of the grind–so it’s super fine because of that designation, which also helps make it be as smooth and glutenous as possible in the final dough. I buy it in these 55 pound bags through a restaurant store and I just have it shipped to me.”
This week on the show we talk with Pete Giordano about what it takes to make the perfect, Neapolitan-style pizza at home.
And we learn how to make persimmon pudding using a recipe from Clara Kinsey.

A man obsessed with making pizza at home shares his secrets and a local home cook shares Clara Kinsey’s persimmon pudding recipe.

Make pizza like a pro–at home

“I love cookies. They’re hands-on, there’s a lot of technique involved in them,  they’re really fun and easy to do with kids,  they bake quickly,they’re perfect for gift giving any time of year, and they’re great.”

Holidays and baking go hand in hand. Join us for a collection of favorite wintery stories for the holiday season with Earth Eats. 

We drop in on a cookie baking workshop with kids at a food pantry, we enjoy a hot cup of coffee on a chilly bike ride, and we toast up a batch of maple granola for holiday gift giving. 

All that, plus CHESTNUTS on the Earth Eats Holiday Special.

“I love cookies. They’re hands-on, there’s a lot of technique involved in them,  they’re really fun and easy to do with kids,  they bake quickly,they’re perfect for gift giving any time of year, and they’re great.”
Holidays and baking go hand in hand. Join us for a collection of favorite wintery stories for the holiday season with Earth Eats. 
We drop in on a cookie baking workshop with kids at a food pantry, we enjoy a hot cup of coffee on a chilly bike ride, and we toast up a batch of maple granola for holiday gift giving. 
All that, plus CHESTNUTS on the Earth Eats Holiday Special.

A winter holiday special with chestnuts roasting, cookies baking and coffee outside.

Winter holiday foods

“And that’s why we call it a food value chain.You know, it’s a supply chain but it’s based on the values that you have as far as how the land is treated, how people are treated, what kind of nutrition contents in your food–all those things [that] people up and down–from the farmer to the consumer have an interest in. And so, this system that we’re developing is about addressing those values and making sure they happen.”

This week on the show, an uplifting conversation about organizations and coalitions working together for stronger rural economies and robust local food systems. We talk about micro lending, food hubs, farm-to-school programs and more.

“And that’s why we call it a food value chain.You know, it’s a supply chain but it’s based on the values that you have as far as how the land is treated, how people are treated, what kind of nutrition contents in your food–all those things [that] people up and down–from the farmer to the consumer have an interest in. And so, this system that we’re developing is about addressing those values and making sure they happen.”
This week on the show, an uplifting conversation about organizations and coalitions working together for stronger rural economies and robust local food systems. We talk about micro lending, food hubs, farm-to-school programs and more.

From food hubs, farm-to-school programs and local food value chains, this week’s show is all about building a better local food system

Making a local food system that works for everyone

This week on the show, producer Toby Foster visits with one of the owners of Tacotarian in Los Vegas. They talk about the vision behind this vegan taco spot and explore the possibilities of both fake meats and vegetable-forward options. 

Plus, East Coast style bagels come to Indiana, and a story from Harvest Public Media about a new farm to food bank program.

This week on the show, producer Toby Foster visits with one of the owners of Tacotarian in Los Vegas. They talk about the vision behind this vegan taco spot and explore the possibilities of both fake meats and vegetable-forward options. 
Plus, East Coast style bagels come to Indiana, and a story from Harvest Public Media about a new farm to food bank program.

Plant-based tacos are on the menu at Tacotarian in Las Vegas, Nevada

Nostalgic or innovative–Tacotarian has plant-based tacos for everyone

“And so I really love to be able to see how other BIPOC farmers in the community are doing good with the land.”

This week on the show, we talk with recipients of a fellowship that brings BIPOC farmers together to build community in Monroe County, Indiana. The farmers also receive funding for farm projects. We talk about what the fellowship has meant for the three farmers and how they will put the funds to use enhancing the local food system

“And so I really love to be able to see how other BIPOC farmers in the community are doing good with the land.”
This week on the show, we talk with recipients of a fellowship that brings BIPOC farmers together to build community in Monroe County, Indiana. The farmers also receive funding for farm projects. We talk about what the fellowship has meant for the three farmers and how they will put the funds to use enhancing the local food system

A recent fellowship for young farmers focuses on Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Monroe County, Indiana. 

BIPOC farmers connect through a fellowship 

“We have about a four acre parcel of land here that’s subdivided into a whole bunch of micro-plots, basically, where we can isolate, you know, the Black Strawberry Tomato, or the Chinese Wool Flower or a gourd or whatever it happens to be. And we can make sure that those seeds stay pure. Purity is one of the biggest things that we do here. We do a lot of purity trials, so we maintain that the seed we’re selling [to] somebody–we wanna make sure that that seed is 100% true to type.”

This week on the show we visit Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company to learn the particulars of growing for plants for seed. 

And Violet Baron talks with the owners of Lost Farm Meal Service about growing a business during a pandemic.

“We have about a four acre parcel of land here that’s subdivided into a whole bunch of micro-plots, basically, where we can isolate, you know, the Black Strawberry Tomato, or the Chinese Wool Flower or a gourd or whatever it happens to be. And we can make sure that those seeds stay pure. Purity is one of the biggest things that we do here. We do a lot of purity trials, so we maintain that the seed we’re selling [to] somebody–we wanna make sure that that seed is 100% true to type.”
This week on the show we visit Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company to learn the particulars of growing for plants for seed. 
And Violet Baron talks with the owners of Lost Farm Meal Service about growing a business during a pandemic.

Conversations with a farmer at Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and with the owners of Lost Farm Meal Service

Raising seeds

“Apple cake is a very family-specific recipe–I’ve never heard of it anywhere else, seen it anywhere else. My gramma started it–for as long as I can remember we had it on Thanksgiving. It was served in a very specific bowl and as a child, for Thanksgiving everyone would look forward to the apple cake. And when that blue bowl came out on the table it was just like –gasp!-- there’s the apple cake. And you knew that Thanksgiving had arrived.”

This week on the show, a Thanksgiving special featuring a dessert that’s served with the meal, a side dish that MUST be made correctly, and a daughter attempting to make her mother’s flan for the first time.

“Apple cake is a very family-specific recipe–I’ve never heard of it anywhere else, seen it anywhere else. My gramma started it–for as long as I can remember we had it on Thanksgiving. It was served in a very specific bowl and as a child, for Thanksgiving everyone would look forward to the apple cake. And when that blue bowl came out on the table it was just like –gasp!-- there’s the apple cake. And you knew that Thanksgiving had arrived.”
This week on the show, a Thanksgiving special featuring a dessert that’s served with the meal, a side dish that MUST be made correctly, and a daughter attempting to make her mother’s flan for the first time.

Learn about three unexpected holiday dishes that mean the world to the families who make them. 

Thanksgiving food traditions connect families across generations

“There’s a restaurant on almost every street in our various cities–they are woven into the fabrics of our communities, and they are deeply embedded in our lives.  Restaurants are the places we go to celebrate marriages, to mourn divorces, the places we go to gossip with friends to celebrate after church and they become these places to hear the stories of their community. They’re talking to the farmers everyday, they’re talking to the fisherpeople everyday, they’re talking to the other producers, they’re also getting a sense of what’s challenging about their lives or what’s opportunities within their lives and they hear the everyday concerns of their customers. So they become these great collectors of stories.”

 
This week on the show, a conversation with Katherine Miller. She’s the author of At the Table:The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy. She encourages chefs to harness the power of their unique position in the community and raise their voices for change in the food system.

“There’s a restaurant on almost every street in our various cities–they are woven into the fabrics of our communities, and they are deeply embedded in our lives.  Restaurants are the places we go to celebrate marriages, to mourn divorces, the places we go to gossip with friends to celebrate after church and they become these places to hear the stories of their community. They’re talking to the farmers everyday, they’re talking to the fisherpeople everyday, they’re talking to the other producers, they’re also getting a sense of what’s challenging about their lives or what’s opportunities within their lives and they hear the everyday concerns of their customers. So they become these great collectors of stories.”

This week on the show, a conversation with Katherine Miller. She’s the author of At the Table:The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy. She encourages chefs to harness the power of their unique position in the community and raise their voices for change in the food system.

 In her new book, At the Table, Katherine Miller offers guidance for chefs on effecting change in food policy

Katherine Miller on how chefs can help shape our food system

This week on the show, Toby Foster talks with Barbara Henry at the Cincinnati Zoo. She’s the one who figures out what each of the animals need to eat, where to source their food and the best ways to feed the animals to ensure that they thrive. 

And, Daniella Richardson talks with the founder of the Indiana Black Loam Conference about obstacles and opportunities for Black farmers in Indiana.

This week on the show, Toby Foster talks with Barbara Henry at the Cincinnati Zoo. She’s the one who figures out what each of the animals need to eat, where to source their food and the best ways to feed the animals to ensure that they thrive. 
And, Daniella Richardson talks with the founder of the Indiana Black Loam Conference about obstacles and opportunities for Black farmers in Indiana.

Everybody eats, including animals at the zoo. Producer Toby Foster talks with the Curator of Nutrition at the Cincinnati Zoo.  

Who sets the menu for the animals at the zoo? [replay]

“I’m passionate about the idea that food should not just nurture our body, but should connect us with the land where the ingredients are from. Food should respect and value the techniques of the farmers that are growing those ingredients and the food should also highlight the creativity and the skills of the cooks that are transforming these ingredients. In this little country, we have so many examples of everything that actually makes sense about food.”

This week on the show, Maria Carlassare of Piccoli Dolci, sharing her passion for regional Italian cuisine. And, she’s sharing a recipe for Italian pastry cream.

“I’m passionate about the idea that food should not just nurture our body, but should connect us with the land where the ingredients are from. Food should respect and value the techniques of the farmers that are growing those ingredients and the food should also highlight the creativity and the skills of the cooks that are transforming these ingredients. In this little country, we have so many examples of everything that actually makes sense about food.”
This week on the show, Maria Carlassare of Piccoli Dolci, sharing her passion for regional Italian cuisine. And, she’s sharing a recipe for Italian pastry cream.

Maria Carlassare’s business is called Piccoli Dolci, which is Italian for little sweets. These days she’s making plenty of savory Italian specialties too, from distinct regions in Italy.

Piccoli Dolci brings Italian treats to The Heartland [replay]

“A community is not resilient unless those benefits that we have from natural resources, like urban trees, are distributed in a way that all people are benefiting from them. And we do know that we have areas of the city that have lower canopy cover and some of those are associated also with lower income communities and marginalized communities.  And arguably those are the people [who] would be most benefited  by ecosystem services and the benefits of trees.”

This week on the show, a conversation with Sarah Mincey and Hannah Gregory of Canopy Bloomington, an organization dedicated to community engagement with the urban forest.

“A community is not resilient unless those benefits that we have from natural resources, like urban trees, are distributed in a way that all people are benefiting from them. And we do know that we have areas of the city that have lower canopy cover and some of those are associated also with lower income communities and marginalized communities.  And arguably those are the people [who] would be most benefited  by ecosystem services and the benefits of trees.”
This week on the show, a conversation with Sarah Mincey and Hannah Gregory of Canopy Bloomington, an organization dedicated to community engagement with the urban forest.

A conversation about a non-profit organization working to build a resilient and equitably green city for all.

 A forest for the future [replay]

“Food connects to…for me personally, it’s something that I connect with in ways that are hard to describe at times. Perhaps because I’ve been away from my family, from India, and America has become my home.  But, when a place becomes your home, I think we still keep the things that mean a lot. And I think food is one of the ways–you know? It’s beautiful memories, nostalgia…”

This week on the show, we’re in the kitchen with Kashika Singh. She teaches Hindi and Urdu languages at Indiana University, and shares another aspect of Indian culture –namely, food. I dropped  in on one of her cooking sessions at the IU Food Institute, and sat down with her in the studio to learn more about her work.

“Food connects to…for me personally, it’s something that I connect with in ways that are hard to describe at times. Perhaps because I’ve been away from my family, from India, and America has become my home.  But, when a place becomes your home, I think we still keep the things that mean a lot. And I think food is one of the ways–you know? It’s beautiful memories, nostalgia…”
This week on the show, we’re in the kitchen with Kashika Singh. She teaches Hindi and Urdu languages at Indiana University, and shares another aspect of Indian culture –namely, food. I dropped  in on one of her cooking sessions at the IU Food Institute, and sat down with her in the studio to learn more about her work.

A visit to a cooking session at the IU Food Institute where an IU language professor shares traditional foods.

Is food your love language? Kashika Singh builds community through food [replay]

 Ice cream and cluster bombs: present and future foodways in Ukraine

“ And she brought two jars of lilacs, like [a] drink made of lilacs. She brought also cups and everybody could try it. It was really something like a miracle for me because I have never thought that it could be drunk in this way.”

This week on the show, a story about a community garden in Tallinn, Estonia. We talk with Jerry Mercury, a political immigrant from Russia whose encounter with the garden was transformative. 

And later in the show we have a recipe for quick, garden-fresh pickles, plus stories from Harvest public media about composting efforts in Midwestern cities and Federal investments in farm-to-school programs.

“ And she brought two jars of lilacs, like [a] drink made of lilacs. She brought also cups and everybody could try it. It was really something like a miracle for me because I have never thought that it could be drunk in this way.”
This week on the show, a story about a community garden in Tallinn, Estonia. We talk with Jerry Mercury, a political immigrant from Russia whose encounter with the garden was transformative. 
And later in the show we have a recipe for quick, garden-fresh pickles, plus stories from Harvest public media about composting efforts in Midwestern cities and Federal investments in farm-to-school programs.

A political immigrant from Russia finds comfort in an Estonian garden

“Speaking directly to Black women and wanting Black women to know that their bodies are not the problem. The way that our bodies are treated and problematized and pathologized, we’re often taught that it’s our fault, that it’s our problem to fix or we just need to love our bodies out of societal oppression.”  

This week on the show a conversation with dietitian and author Jessica Wilson about her book, It’s Always Been Ours: Rewriting the Story of Black Women’s Bodies

She’s challenging us to rethink the politics of body positivity by centering the bodies of Black women in our discussions about food, weight, health and wellness.

“Speaking directly to Black women and wanting Black women to know that their bodies are not the problem. The way that our bodies are treated and problematized and pathologized, we’re often taught that it’s our fault, that it’s our problem to fix or we just need to love our bodies out of societal oppression.”  
This week on the show a conversation with dietitian and author Jessica Wilson about her book, It’s Always Been Ours: Rewriting the Story of Black Women’s Bodies
She’s challenging us to rethink the politics of body positivity by centering the bodies of Black women in our discussions about food, weight, health and wellness.

 “Our bodies aren’t the problem,” rethinking the stories we tell about weight and health with dietician Jessica Wilson.

Jessica Wilson talks about what we get wrong when we focus on weight [replay]

Alicia Kennedy considers the cultural history of vegetarian cuisine

“In terms of what is being discussed right now, I would say the $1.2 trillion dollar elephant in the room is SNAP. And so, the 2023 Farm Bill is estimated to be the most expensive farm bill in US history, over the course of 10 years worth of outlays.”

This week on the show we’re talking about the importance of the upcoming Farm Bill.  Our guest is Shellye Suttles, agriculture economist at the O’Neill School for Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

“In terms of what is being discussed right now, I would say the $1.2 trillion dollar elephant in the room is SNAP. And so, the 2023 Farm Bill is estimated to be the most expensive farm bill in US history, over the course of 10 years worth of outlays.”
This week on the show we’re talking about the importance of the upcoming Farm Bill.  Our guest is Shellye Suttles, agriculture economist at the O’Neill School for Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

If you care about food, pay attention to The Farm Bill  It’s about food security for households across the nation.

The farm bill isn’t just about farming [replay]

“The goal with the collective is to bridge that gap–so then there is a lot more equity and a lot more opportunity. Because these coffees are incredible and most of the time when they’re coming from people of marginalized identities, those people are ensuring that they’re honoring  the farmers as well–and so the farmers are then getting equitable pay. And so it’s creating that throughout the supply chain.”

This week on the show we’re talking coffee with Korie Griggs. She’s with the Color of Coffee Collective, working to support equitable access in the world of specialty coffee. She also has a message about slowing down and taking time to smell the coffee. 

And stories about elderberries and peaches from Harvest Public Media.

“The goal with the collective is to bridge that gap–so then there is a lot more equity and a lot more opportunity. Because these coffees are incredible and most of the time when they’re coming from people of marginalized identities, those people are ensuring that they’re honoring  the farmers as well–and so the farmers are then getting equitable pay. And so it’s creating that throughout the supply chain.”
This week on the show we’re talking coffee with Korie Griggs. She’s with the Color of Coffee Collective, working to support equitable access in the world of specialty coffee. She also has a message about slowing down and taking time to smell the coffee. 
And stories about elderberries and peaches from Harvest Public Media.

A conversation with Korie Griggs of the Color of Coffee Collective

Make time for coffee

“So, I like to say that bees are just like us. So bees have a society, and they live in a built environment, [they have a] little house, just like we have a little house, and they communicate through dance. I don’t know if we communicate through dance, but I think dance is also a thing that humans do…”

This week on the show we’re talking with microbiologist Irene Garcia Newton about the beloved honeybee. We learn about the various roles within a hive, and how the diet of a bee determines…well, EVERYTHING.

“So, I like to say that bees are just like us. So bees have a society, and they live in a built environment, [they have a] little house, just like we have a little house, and they communicate through dance. I don’t know if we communicate through dance, but I think dance is also a thing that humans do…”
This week on the show we’re talking with microbiologist Irene Garcia Newton about the beloved honeybee. We learn about the various roles within a hive, and how the diet of a bee determines…well, EVERYTHING.

Microbiologist Irene Garcia Newton shares her knowledge about the many organisms involved in keeping a colony of honeybees healthy.

A beehive contains multitudes

“She looked at my husband and she was like, ‘Jennifer, translate what I’m about to say’ (she doesn’t speak English). She’s like, ‘Tell Derek that I said to please start a website for you and help you spread the word about your cake business.’  And I was like, ‘Grandma, I don’t really know who’s gonna buy a cake from me.’”

This week we’re talking with Jennifer Whitely, owner of Cakes by Yenni. She walks us through the assembly and decoration of her strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream icing, and shares the origin story of her new home-based business.

“She looked at my husband and she was like, ‘Jennifer, translate what I’m about to say’ (she doesn’t speak English). She’s like, ‘Tell Derek that I said to please start a website for you and help you spread the word about your cake business.’  And I was like, ‘Grandma, I don’t really know who’s gonna buy a cake from me.’”
This week we’re talking with Jennifer Whitely, owner of Cakes by Yenni. She walks us through the assembly and decoration of her strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream icing, and shares the origin story of her new home-based business.

When your grandmother tells you it’s time to open a cake business, maybe you should listen.

Cakes by Yenni: turning a passion into a business [replay]

“For me it feels like we live in an age where you look on the news and it just feels like everything is going wrong. And so gardening feels like a small way we can have an actual, tangible, positive impact on the world around us. In a world where it’s easy to feel like everything is just falling apart, it’s a small way to actually see progress.”

This week on the show, it’s back to school part two. We talk with high school students and educators about what their school gardens mean to them.

“For me it feels like we live in an age where you look on the news and it just feels like everything is going wrong. And so gardening feels like a small way we can have an actual, tangible, positive impact on the world around us. In a world where it’s easy to feel like everything is just falling apart, it’s a small way to actually see progress.”
This week on the show, it’s back to school part two. We talk with high school students and educators about what their school gardens mean to them.

Take them outside

“Society has gotten so far disconnected from where their food comes from, that if we can begin with the students, start with children, teaching them how to grow food, they will be much more interested in where their food comes from as they get older. I think that’s a very important part of the process”

This week on the show, we talk with Kendall Slaughter, he’s the farm-to-school coordinator for Springfield Public Schools in Southern Missouri. We’ll tour an elementary school designed as a sundial, meet the bunnies and the chickens and hear about how the school system is building a sustainable school garden program and moving towards local food sourcing in school lunches.

Back-to-school with farm-to-fork

“Preserved they don’t burn, the bitterness softens.

California has been burning for years. When I lived

in LA, I drank water pumped from Colorado. Lemons

from my grandmother’s tree—two orbs, turning in my hands

under the faucet—clear, cold, unfiltered…”

This week on the show we’ve got poetry and pie.  We talk with the authors of How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies, and we hear from a poet who incorporates food imagery into her work.

Plus, Daniella Richardson reviews a podcast that turns a critical eye towards the wellness and weight loss industry.

“Preserved they don’t burn, the bitterness softens.
California has been burning for years. When I lived
in LA, I drank water pumped from Colorado. Lemons
from my grandmother’s tree—two orbs, turning in my hands
under the faucet—clear, cold, unfiltered…”
This week on the show we’ve got poetry and pie.  We talk with the authors of How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies, and we hear from a poet who incorporates food imagery into her work.
Plus, Daniella Richardson reviews a podcast that turns a critical eye towards the wellness and weight loss industry.

The creators of How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies talk with Earth Eats about their book.

Pies, novels, poetry and a podcast [replay]

“And that’s why we call it a food value chain.You know, it’s a supply chain but it’s based on the values that you have as far as how the land is treated, how people are treated, what kind of nutrition contents in your food–all those things [that] people up and down–from the farmer to the consumer have an interest in. And so, this system that we’re developing is about addressing those values and making sure they happen.” —Patty Cantrell

This week on the show, an uplifting conversation with Katie Nixon and Patty Cantrell with West Central Missouri Community Action Agency and New Growth Community Development Corporation.

 
We talk about organizations and coalitions working together for stronger rural economies and robust local food value chains. We talk about micro lending, food hubs, farm-to-school programs and more.

“And that’s why we call it a food value chain.You know, it’s a supply chain but it’s based on the values that you have as far as how the land is treated, how people are treated, what kind of nutrition contents in your food–all those things [that] people up and down–from the farmer to the consumer have an interest in. And so, this system that we’re developing is about addressing those values and making sure they happen.” —Patty Cantrell
This week on the show, an uplifting conversation with Katie Nixon and Patty Cantrell with West Central Missouri Community Action Agency and New Growth Community Development Corporation.

From food hubs, farm-to-school programs and local food value chains, this week’s show is all about making local food work for everyone.

How to build a better local food system

Conversations with a farmer at Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and the owners of Lost Farm Meal Service.

Conversations with a farmer at Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and the owners of Lost Farm Meal Service.

Raising rare seeds and growing a small business

A conversation with geographer Jen Watkins on her experience as a server and her research on the industry.

A conversation with geographer Jen Watkins on her experience as a server and her research on the industry.

From restaurant to research [replay]

Huge wooden foeders, wild yeast, and hundreds of pounds of fruit make Upland’s sour beer program one of a kind.

Huge wooden foeders, wild yeast, and hundreds of pounds of fruit make Upland’s sour beer program one of a kind.

Upland’s Woodshop brews specialty beers with local fruits

A recent fellowship for young farmers focuses on Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Monroe County, Indiana.

A recent fellowship for young farmers focuses on Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Monroe County, Indiana.

Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition helps BIPOC farmers connect

A how-to episode for growing your own figs and for preserving your tomato harvest.

A how-to episode for growing your own figs and for preserving your tomato harvest.

Learn how to raise figs in the midwest

A conversation about a non-profit organization working to build a resilient and equitably green city for all.

Canopy Bloomington nurtures the urban forest

A conversation with chef and anthropologist, Nafsika Papacharalampous about changes in high-end dining in Greece, sparked by the financial crisis.

A conversation with chef and anthropologist, Nafsika Papacharalampous about changes in high-end dining in Greece, sparked by the financial crisis.

Memory, nostalgia and comfort food in contemporary Greek cuisine

Treatment for eating disorders is often inaccessible and ineffective, especially in communities of color. The founder of Nalgona Positivity Pride has a program that aims to meet people where they are.

Treatment for eating disorders is often inaccessible and ineffective, especially in communities of color. The founder of Nalgona Positivity Pride has a program that aims to meet people where they are.

Gloria Lucas of Nalgona Positivity Pride celebrates all body types

Local ice cream shop puts the focus on community with Food Truck Fridays.

The Chocolate Moose is more than ice cream

A visit to a cooking session at the IU Food Institute where an IU language professor shares traditional Indian foods.

A visit to a cooking session at the IU Food Institute where an IU language professor shares traditional Indian foods.

Kashika Singh brings comfort food to students who are far from home

Frances Moore Lappé continues the work she began more than 50 years ago with Diet for a Small Planet. Now she’s challenging us to save our Democracy.

Frances Moore Lappé continues the work she began more than 50 years ago with Diet for a Small Planet. Now she’s challenging us to save our Democracy.

"Why are we together creating a world that as individuals none of us would choose?" [replay]

Everybody eats, including animals at the zoo. Producer Toby Foster talks with the curator of nutrition at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Everybody eats, including animals at the zoo. Producer Toby Foster talks with the curator of nutrition at the Cincinnati Zoo.

How to feed a six-banded armadillo

A conversation about the The Smell of Money–a documentary film about environmental justice in rural communities

A conversation about the The Smell of Money–a documentary film about environmental justice in rural communities

The CAFO next door [replay]

A conversation with dietician Jessica Wilson about what we get wrong when we focus on weight.

A conversation with dietician Jessica Wilson about what we get wrong when we focus on weight.

“Our bodies aren’t the problem,” rethinking the stories we tell about weight and health

A new little bagel shop with a big personality brings an East Coast vibe to Bloomington.

A new little bagel shop with a big personality brings an East Coast vibe to Bloomington.

Take a bite of the big apple at Gables Bagels

Producer Toby Foster gets in the weeds about home pizza making with Pete Giordano.

Producer Toby Foster gets in the weeds about home pizza making with Pete Giordano.